A lot of THE LATE GAME is true. If you’ve ever played in a beer league or midnight hockey, you’ll be right at home with this movie. My brother played for many years in different leagues, at all hours (literally) of the day and night. And because he was a good goalie, he played with everyone from regular guys off the street to NHL players. He’s seen it all, and since I went to a lot of his games, I’ve seen a lot too. So if you want to know what goes on in the beer leagues, THE LATE GAME will tell you.
The movie takes place over one day. Riley is unpacking at his new apartment when we meet him. Depressed by this, he goes to the bar and ends up at the game anyway after seeing the girl who broke his heart walk in and seeing a guy from about a year earlier who he has in his phone as “Hockey Guy.” They need an extra guy for the team would Riley want to play? He begs off but ends up going to the game anyway. That’s what happens.
This is a comedy but isn’t always played as such; listening to these guys talk and watching how they move, they aren’t really being funny as much as just being late-game guys. The banter is dead on- I’ve actually heard variations of a couple conversations word-for-word before; they are very funny in that sort of way.
And it works so well because writer director Jeff Tyner keeps things tethered to reality here this isn’t some budget Hollywood film with flashy set pieces and score that sells every joke this is simply life joyously playing out before us there are great bits and funny lines but they’re there in service of the story; you’re gonna remember them as part of jokes told inside whole gem of film (not just sequence or two).
It’s comedy through a slice of life. It’s all funny but also low key enough to make this so much better than if it was played as a loud comedy because we come out not so much thinking of the jokes, but the people who told them. We’re watching people, not characters (for the most part), and they drive story here.
I need to point out the hockey sequences and say they are absolutely brilliant, the way these were put together is honestly better than most big-budget Hollywood films. I found myself wondering how in hell they shot them because shots go together actions genuinely carry over from shot to shot so that sequences feel like it was all caught by multiple cameras at same time which I don’t think is how it was done. This is editing that should get film in Oscar mix, assuming Oscar would even notice this movie.
The truth is whole movie is technically that good, and I could wax poetic about it but that’s not gonna get you to buy ticket.
Knowing this is a great film is what will make you buy the ticket. Home run baby! I laughed, smiled, and saw my life in those people on the screen. The only part that was weird for me was setting up before they get to the rink because it’s gotta get us there but after that THE LATE GAME. How good it goes became clear as day to me when I watched it again and could see how things were going together.
This movie is super. Some folks might not click with it they never do with comedies, right? But most of y’all reading this are gonna love it.
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